The early years of the reign of queen Snow White
by livromaniaque
Summary: Pretty much exactly what the title implies. Eventual Snowil, don't say I didn't warn you. Rating just to be safe. Let me know what you think.
1. Chapter 1

**Part one: Where Queen Snow White purges the last trace of the usurper Ravenna from the castle.**

The seasons had returned to the kingdom. The cold, harsh, wet winter that seemed to have lasted a decade was slowly fading into spring. Ever so slowly, the darkness brought on by the evil Ravenna receded into the light of the true queen.

And yet, there was still so much to do. After living so long in fear and misery, the people found they had a hard time believing in such a bright new beginning. The hope in their heart was marred by a terrible fear; that somehow Ravenna's magic would outlive her.

It was this fear that prevented the guards from letting the queen through these doors. This room, at the very top of the highest tower, had been Ravenna's personal domain. It was where she met those young girls, who came out terribly aged. It was where she had a pool built and filled with milk. (Some said that Ravenna had the habit of bathing nude in that pool, but none would admit having seen such a thing.) It was where she kept her mirror.

It was also where the queen had confronted and defeated her, a fact Snow White had pointed out to the guards. She had no fear of this room. But they did, and they begged her not to go in, to have the door sealed shut and never to mention this room again. However, Show White knew such a course of action would only serve to remind everyone of Ravenna's rule, to instill more fear in their heart. This would truly give the dead queen power beyond the grave. This would not do.

She loathed to order the guards, though, especially since they were so distressed. It would make her too much like her step-mother. So she compromised instead; an authority on magical matters would be called and examine the room and the artifacts. If a great presence of evil was detected, the room would be sealed. If not, it would be returned to its original state with no more discussion.

There was not one trained in the art of magic in the castle, or anywhere nearby. If there had been one in the past, Ravenna surely destroyed them when she first took the throne. The only magical authority available were the dwarves, who had lived in the Sanctuary and knew of fairies and such. The oldest among them, the blind Muir, also had a strange talent for seeing truths hidden from sight. And so the dwarves were fetched, and they were the first to enter the room, followed closely by the queen and the guards carefully flanking her.

The pool was carefully observed. They smelled and they touched, and one bold dwarf went as far as to taste the mixture. They were all satisfied that it contained nothing more than spoiled milk. The mirror was likewise studied. No foreign presence was detected, no trace of magic; it was nothing but a polished piece of bronze.

Still, the guards would not move. Only when the queen, who was growing weary of their superstition, went to the mirror and began to remove it herself did they leap forward, taking the task from her hands. "Take this to the blacksmith, have it melted into whatever is most useful," ordered she. There was a moment of hesitation as to what to most useful thing would be. In many cases, bronze has been replaced with the more durable and easily obtained steel. Someone eventually suggested coins, and the queen agreed.

"What was this room used for in my mother's time," she then asked. One of the soldiers present, who had lived under her mother's rule, answered: "It used to be the council of war's room. Your father, and Duke Hammond and several others, would meet here every fortnight or so. They had a good view of the men training in the courtyard from these windows."

"I see. And what would be required to return it to its original purpose? Other then getting rid of the pool and the mirror, of course?"

The soldiers hesitated. "I … I do not know, majesty. That is, I wasn't a part of the council proper. I knew about it, but ..."

Touched by the soldier's obvious discomfort, the queen walked up to him and put her hand on his arm . "All right, sir knight. You've done well. Would you send word to the duke, let him know that I wish for his presence? It is very important to me to return the castle to the way it was during my parents's reign. "

The queen's touch had a subtle, but immediate effect. The knight's heartbeat slowed, his nerves ebbed away, his confidence returned. "Yes, majesty. As you wish." After a low bow, he left the room. The others followed his example, and soon the room was empty, save for the queen and Muir, that blind dwarf.

The dwarf stood in the middle of the room, smiling, while the queen paced in front of the windows, occasionally looking out. It was good, to melt the mirror for coins. Coins could be exchanged for food and supplies with merchants. But would it be enough? Merchants preferred gold. The crops were so slow to grow, and they looked thin and weak. The young queen feared her people would starve.

It seemed to Snow White that so much was expected of her. Too much, perhaps? She should be finding a ways to better the lives of her people; to repair the houses in the village, to protect them with better fortifications, to fix the broken wells. This is where her attention should be. But instead, whenever she had a moment to herself, without a clear task in front of her, her mind turned to her own petty conflicts.

The huntsman was still in the castle. At first, his presence had been somewhat of a relief. He had helped with the training of the soldiers, and in restocking the larders. Snow White had been happy to see him adjusting so well. But slowly, things had changed. He now spent most of his time at the pub, drinking mead and spirits, often until he fell unconscious. He spoke of his time in the war, and of his wife.

The queen remembered the first time she had heard the huntsman speak of those things. She had been trapped under Ravenna's spell, unable to move or to speak, only able to listen, her heart breaking at the poor man's misery.

He had kissed her then.

Did he love her?

She could not imagine any other reason for him to kiss her. The idea broke her heart, for she did not love him back.

She cared for him, a great deal. He was her protector, her mentor, even her friend. But he was not a lover, nor could she imagine him as one. She knew little of feelings such as these, but she remembered the way her parents had looked at each other, how they had behaved together. What she had seen in their faces, she could not find in her own heart when she thought of the huntsman.

But what if he loved her?

She could think of no solutions. Sometimes she thought that she should have him removed from the palace, find him some occupation far away. Would he consider it a rejection? Would it cause him pain? Or was the greater pain staying in the castle? She would tell herself that it was, only to chastise herself for her selfishness. She was afraid that the only reason she wanted the huntsman gone was that he made her uncomfortable. With his unrequited love. With his excessive drinking. With the looks he sometimes gave to William.

William.

She felt her heart tear at the thought of him. So many emotions, conflicting with each other. She longed for the friendship of their childhood. The careful distance that had settled between them weighed on her like her suit of armor. And yet, the idea of crossing this distance made her feel anxious. Sometimes, she thought she could see something in his eyes, when he looked at her, that almost made her brave enough to try. But the moment would inevitably pass.

And then, there was that morning, in the snowy forest, with the apple …

No! That was Ravenna. That was Ravenna, that was Ravenna, that was Ravenna.

William would never hurt her. She knew it.

Had William kissed her, too, in the forest? Sometimes she could swear he had, that she could feel his lips on hers while she was under the spell. At other times, she convinced herself that this was nothing more than her own fancy speaking.

And why was she thinking about those inconsequential things when her people might starve next winter?

"Are you well, Majesty?"

Snow White had forgotten that Muir was still in the room.

"Yes, Muir, I am well. I worry, that's all. The crops ..."

Anyone else would have told her that the crops were the best they had been in a decade. It might even be the truth; Snow White would have no way of knowing. But such an answer offered her little comfort. She had a feeling Muir's answer would be more encouraging. He seemed to always know what to say.

"The land responds to you, Majesty. To your strength and your goodness, and also to your confusion." After a moment, he continued. "You should speak with the huntsman. What he has to say might surprise you."

Before the queen could ask what the dwarf meant, the door opened once more. The man servant who had opened it dropped to his knees. "I beg your pardon, your Majesty."

"What is it?"

"I came with word from the village. One of the smithy's sons is missing. Apparently, he had been dared by other children to take on The Queen's Journey. A search party was organised, but they found no trace of the boy. We fear he already crossed the march."

And therefore went into the Dark Forest. To be lost, perhaps to die. It was the fourth such occurrence since the coronation. Something had to be done. And heavily though it weighed on Snow White's mind, and her heart, she could only think of one.

She walked to the door and addressed one of the guards posted outside. "Fetch me the huntsman. I will see him in the throne room at once."


	2. Chapter 2

**Part 2: Where Queen Snow White resolves the issue of the Huntsman**

For the second time in his life, Eric was called to the throne room. Very little had changed since he has been here last. The room was the same, and he was the same. The only thing that changed was the queen. But what a difference it made.

Standing just behind the throne, taking the place of Ravenna's weasley brother, was Duke Hammond. The guards looked much the same, but their demeanor was different.

No one would push him on his knees this time.

Still, some respect was required. She deserved it. He raised a hand to his chest and inclined his head, ever so slightly. "Your Majesty."

She bowed her head as well, wordlessly returning the salute. She then turned to face the Duke. "I will explain the matter to the huntsman in private."

"Are you certain, Your Majesty?" The Duke was one of the few, quite possibly the only, man in the kingdom who would permit himself to question the queen in such a way.

"I am. Please wait outside. I will call you back when you are needed."

The Duke bowed and left the room, the guards following him.

Eric studied the queen, waiting for her to explain the situation to him. She got up, began to slowly pace in front of her throne. He noticed for the first time how nervous she was.

"I have a mission for you," she finally said. "One I believe to be of the utmost importance. I could trust no one else to complete it, and I hope that any … personal feelings you might have would not interfere with it."

"Personal feelings?" Eric was greatly confused by the queen's words.

"Yes. The mission in question would take you away from the castle, and from the village as well, for quite some time. I can't begin to guess how long. I wish you would not take this as a rejection. I care about you a great deal, and I do not wish to cause you harm. If this was not so important ..."

"Wait! Wait!" Slowly, the queen's words placed themselves in his head, and it all made sense. "You think I'm in love with you?" The idea was so ludicrous, Eric could not help but start laughing. He laughed and laughed, until he was short of breath and crying from it.

Through his tears, he caught the expression on the queen's face. There was more than a little indignation there, but there was also a bit of relief.

"How presumptuous of your Majesty. Or perhaps this is a clumsy attempt to convey your feelings for me? I am flattered, of course."

" You... I don't... You kissed me."

"What?" The queen's words stopped his laughter, and his heart, cold. He did what? Of course he didn't kiss her. She was but a child. Besides, he would remember, wouldn't he?

"In Duke Hammond's castle. You were talking about your wife, and how I reminded you of her. You apologize for not protecting either of us, saying we deserved better, then you kissed me and you left."

The description did ring a distant bell. However … "You were dead."

"No, I wasn't."

"You looked dead. You were still, you didn't even breath."

"Ravenna needed me alive. She needed my beating heart to obtain immortality. The spell she used was never meant to kill me, only to immobilise me. I was alive, confused at times, but aware of my environment. I was never dead."

"If you weren't dead, why did it take you so long to wake up?"

"I don't know." The queen's voice, which had been to that point strong and confident, in a word regal, was now much softer. She was speaking more to herself than to him, it seemed. "I think … it was being there, in the castle, with all the people there who needed me. For their sake, Ravenna had to be destroyed, and I was the only one who could do it. I had to rise, and so I did."

She turned back to Eric, then. "If you do not love me, why did you kiss me?"

Eric was more than a little embarrassed by the situation. "Well, you see, Highness, it is the sort of thing that happens when a man gets more than his share of spirits."

"Which is something you've done a lot in the last few weeks, or so I gathered. Were there many other inadvisable kisses?"

"None that I remember." Eric answered the queen's teasing carelessly, using false bravado to disguise the sudden doubt in his mind. He didn't exactly remember kissing the queen, either. What if …

"Have you ever heard of The Queen's Journey?"

"What?" The complete change of subject, and the queen serious tone, brought his attention back to the present conversation. "It's a game that the village children play," he answered after a moment.

"It isn't just a game, unfortunately. Since the coronation, some of the village children have been daring each other to follow in my footsteps, so to speak. To recreate my escape. Four of them so far have gone missing, lost to the dark forest."

"Then they're dead." Eric's tone was cold and harsh, much as his feelings were. It was too similar to the last time he came here.

"I know," the queen replied softly. "It's been months for some of them. There's no food in that forest, no water. And that foul smoke, and ..."

The memories of the Dark Forest, and the pain she felt for the village children who were now undoubtedly lost forever, were plain to see on her face. She took a moment to compose herself.

"I have survived the journey, and it is enough encouragement for some to try and do the same. More children will die unless something is done to stop them."

"Like what? What does that have to do with me?"

"I am creating a special corps-de-garde, that will be stationed around the edges of the forest, and whose mission will be to discourage people from going into the forest, or if they insist on going, to guide them through safely. I want you to be in charge of it, and to train the men."

"You expect me to go back there?" Eric knew there was more to what the queen asked then this, but it was the only part that mattered. Would he ever escape that cursed forest? It would have been better for him to die when he first attempted to cross it.

"I'm asking you to keep my people safe, as you kept me safe once," replied the queen solemnly. "How could I trust anyone else?"

Yes, what a difference the queen made. For no one else would he ever consider doing this. He was hesitant as it were.

"You'll need a lot of soldiers to guard the whole forest," he said slowly. "Can you spare that many men?"

"The duke will be able to tell us. I believe we can, especially when one includes the younger men who are beginning their training."

"What of William? Should he be included in this guard?"

The queen lowered her head, seemingly unable to look Eric in the eyes. The expression on her face was answer enough. He had no intention of taking William on this mission, in fact he was still hesitant to accept the mission for himself. He only wanted to see for himself whether the young queen felt anything for the son of the duke. It was now obvious that she did. It was equally obvious that young William had feelings for the queen. And yet they did nothing. They stood awkwardly around each other, saying polite nothings wrapped in formality.

Eric was now seriously considering the queen's offer, if only to get away from this nonsense. Haven't they learned their lesson already? Did they not know that life is fleeting? That love should be seized with both hands, because one day it will be gone, and all that will remain are guilt and unbearable memories?

"If William is essential, of course he must go," replied the queen in a small voice, and it was obvious to anyone who knew her that she did not mean it.

Eric sighed. "No, he's probably more useful where he is. Well, let the Duke come in, and see if this mad scheme can even be done," he said in a resigned tone.

The queen raise her head back. "You'll do it?" she asked hopefully.

"If it can be done at all, then yes I will. I would not disobey a royal command."

"Thank you, Huntsman. Thank you." The queen went up to Eric and grabbed his hand for the briefest moment, before running to fetch the Duke.

The Huntsman and the newly formed Forest Guard left the castle a fortnight later. Thought there was a rotation between the palace guards and the Forest Guards, the Huntsman himself only returned to the palace four times in the following year. On every occasion, he brought with him one of the lost children.


	3. Chapter 3

Part three: Where the Council of War is reformed, and the Queen names an ambassador and a personal guard.

The fifth time the Huntsman returned to the palace, it was well into the spring of his second year as Captain of the Forest Guard. He came alone, and he was bearing news.

Terrible rumors had started to float around the castle, carried by merchants and guards of the Forbidden Forest. Rumors of foreign armies marching toward the kingdom, rumors of invasion, rumors of wars upon them.

The council of war was hoping that the Huntsman's report would lay these rumors to rest once and for all. They did not get quite the result they expected.

"Ten days ago, a group or foreigners reached the South-East border of the Forbidden Forest, where they were met by the Guard. The men on duty explained the dangers of the forest, but the foreigners insisted that they must reach the kingdom of Nabor, and ordered the guards to guide them through the woods."

"How large was the group, Huntsman?" asked one of the soldiers.

"Not large at all. A half a dozen men or so."

"Not an army, then. A scouting expedition?"

"I believe so."

"Did they get across the forest?"

The Huntsman shook his head, a sardonic smile across his face. "They put in a valiant effort, it must be said. They stayed in the forest half a day, before coming back the way they came from."

"This is good news, but not great. They will find other ways to reach the castle, if such is their goal."

More questions were asked and answered, more comments rose from nearly all part, plans were made. In the room, only two people remained silent: the queen, and duke Hammond.

The duke watched the council plan for the more then probable invasion. A lifetime ago, he would have been at the heart of the discussion, eager to defend his king and his queen, to defend his kingdom. Now all he felt was weariness.

He looked at his son, who brought him so much joy, and so much pain. William had been leading men to combat for years now, and he was a good commander. As a former general, as the man who was still technically in charge of the Queen's army, the Duke felt nothing but pride at William's accomplishments. As a father, all he could see was his son putting himself in harms way, over and over again.

The council adjourned, and the men make their way out of the room, the Huntsman being the first out of the door. William follows the others at a much slower pace. The duke can see his son lingering by the door, waiting for him and for the queen.

"You seem troubled, your grace. What is the matter?"

"Nothing, your Majesty. It is simply that ... well, my years of fighting and war are far behind me, that is all."

"Are you certain that war is unavoidable?"

"I am certain of nothing, highness. I can only say that the latest intelligence is far from reassuring."

"Perhaps there is a way to turn the tide," Snow White slowly answered. "If the kingdom presented a friendlier front. For many, we are still Ravenna's latest conquest, our reputation tainted by her brutality. If we could send someone to meet with these foreigners, and discuss with them peacefully. An ambassador. Yes, that is what is needed here. Duke Hammond, would you agree to this task?"

"I am ever at your Majesty's service," answered the duke, dubious to the results of the efforts, but grateful for the duties that would keep him away from the efforts of war. If he could only find a similar position for William.

"Very well." The queen said, absent-minded. She mulled her thoughts for a minute, before rising abruptly.

"May I ask what your Majesty plans to do?" Hammond did not like determination he saw in her features.

"I plan to the courtyard and begin my training proper. Well, I suppose I should go to fetch my armor first," the queen did not appear to notice the matching looks of horror on the faces of William and the Duke. "and then get it to the smithy for repairs. Then to the courtyard."

"Are you out of your mind?"

Snow White looked up to William, confused and a little upset at his outburst. "What do you mean?"

"You are not going out there. You do not get to train, and there is no way in hell I'm letting you anywhere near a battle field. If and when we march, you will stay at the castle, where you'll be safe."

The confusion on the queen's face melted away, replaced by a burning determination, a reflection of William's expression.

"What are you saying, that I am to put my personal safety above yours, above anyone else's?"

"Yes, that is what I'm saying. You are the queen, keeping you safe is my duty."

"Exactly. I am the queen. You don't get to tell me what to do."

"When it comes to this, yes, I do. I am in charge of the army, I must think of the men. Your presence on the battlefield would demoralize the troops. They would be distracted by the need to protect you."

"That is ridiculous. My father went to battle, and the men ..."

"Your mother didn't."

Snow White turned to face the duke.

"In fact," he continued calmly, "it was customary to have a soldier dedicated to the protection of the queen. He would remain behind when the king and the rest of the troops marched to war, organizing the defense of the castle and keeping by the queen's side until her husband's return."

The duke was taking a risk, and he well knew it, but the opportunity had been too good to resist. The queen said nothing at first, staring at the duke until it took every ounce of his willpower not to shift under her gaze. She then turned to William.

"You."

"What?"

"I'll stay behind if you do as well. I want you as my personal guard."

Both young people opened their eyes wide at the words; neither of them could quite believe what had just been spoken. The dukes held his breath, trying to read the faces of his monarch and of his son. He could not tell for certain what the queen was thinking, though he suspected that whatever nerves her spontaneous offer brought onto her, she would not retract it.

William's thoughts, on the other hand, were so clear to the duke that he might as well be speaking them aloud. The responsibility, the sense of duty he felt toward his men was great; the ones he felt toward the queen, his childhood friend, was greater still. He wished to keep her safe. He wished to remain by her side. He now had the opportunity to do both.

"As you wish," William answered at last. "Now, if your Majesty will excuse me, I have arrangements to make."

William bowed and left the room. If he heard his father's sigh of relief, or Snow White's fervently whispered "Dear God, what have I done?" he showed no sign of it.


End file.
